章 44: Memories of the past
--Hermione pov--
After Harry finished filling out his form, I didn't stay in the common room any longer and ran to my room, then threw myself on my bed.
I can't believe I had inadvertently fallen for Ron's words, it was all a misunderstanding and although Ron didn't notice anything, it was clear from Harry's look that he had understood something.
Ugh, it's Pavarti's fault too, she shouldn't go around saying what's going on in the bedroom even though I know she meant well. *sigh*
No, actually, it's all Extimum's fault. Since what happened that time, I've felt a little strange at times.
It's like a kind of phantom sensation that runs through my body and makes me feel sensitive and anxious, it's kind of uncomfortable. It even manages to distract me during class sometimes.
The only good thing is that it does not appear very often and usually occurs at night, where the sensation also becomes stronger...
Sometimes the feeling is so bad that I unintentionally let out weird sounds and have to try to suppress them to prevent Lavander, Pavarti or Fay from hearing me, although with what Ron said, Pavarti probably heard something.
Maybe it's still lingering effects of Polyjuice Potion, but I really don't want to go back to the infirmary for a long time at least.
On the other hand, maybe it really is Extimum's fault. I've felt the sensation lessen when I'm around him, or maybe it's just my imagination?
*sigh*
I am really confused.
Sighing, I turned my position and lay down facing the ceiling.
« Is there something between you? »
Ron's question echoed through my mind.
Is there? Our relationship is strange, we are friends and I love him, he is the closest person to me, followed by Harry and Ron. Beyond that… I don't know, his attitude confuses me.
His personality is almost always serious and collected, but towards women… or at least towards those closest to him, his personality takes a completely different turn.
Although he is almost himself, his words and actions become more…how to put it?, passionate? Gallant? Playful?
Sometimes he says such sweet things that it makes my heart tremble and it doesn't stop beating fast... and his eyes... just looking at them makes me involuntarily lose myself in his gaze, then there is the feeling of calm that invades me when I am with him, makes let my thoughts wander and…
And then there are all the other girls he does the same thing with. Are all the things he tells me even what he really feels? What does he really think of me?
--End Pov--
.-.
Near the black lake.
Bloom: "Almost…almost…just a little more…" Bloom was sweating lightly as she kept her gaze fixed on Extimum's hands.
Extimum: "Bloom… if you could be quiet for a second, I'm sure I could finish it".
Extimum stopped his actions as he gave Bloom a slight look who seemed so nervous and anxious that it ended up affecting his concentration.
He was currently writing the outer runic system of the amulet and he only had to write the last rune, which he had not tried yet.
Therefore, there was a certain level of risk that it would explode, if it were incompatible.
Oddly, though, it was Bloom who seemed much more nervous about that fact as she watched him write the runes, that was of course, considering that she had actually been hiding behind a tree some distance away from where she was watching Extimum work.
Bloom: "Okay, sorry, I'll be quiet until you finish".
With Bloom's confirmation, Extimum paid her no further attention and fixed his attention on the flickering golden characters floating in the air in front of him. They vaguely seemed to form a complete circle as they magically floated there.
After checking again that everything was correct, he fixed his attention on the empty space that prevented the circle from being completed.
Extimum: 'I hope it works… or at least, that it doesn't explode'.
Moving the magic pen in his hand, Extimum drew the last rune in the air and with a light push, sent it towards the empty spot in the circle, when... nothing happened. (XD)
Bloom: "It's a hit". Observing the lack of reaction, Bloom happily flew up to approach Extimum.
Extimum:" *sigh*, yes." Sighing, Extimum gazed with satisfaction at the entire circle of runes that now shimmered in a tuned fashion as a single component.
He really had been ready to run in retreat in case it did not work out.
The fact that there was no reaction when completed meant that no incompatibility or dissonance had occurred, so as long as the rune circle made complete logical sense in what it would do, there should be no problem.
[Pendant/ Amulet]
Bloom: "Come on, come on, what are you waiting for? Add it to the pendant quickly".
Extimum: "Okay, it's not like the runes are going to disappear right away".
Although Extimum spoke like this, he was no less slow as he manipulated his pendant so that it floated in the air and directed the rune circle towards him so that they would fuse.
Under his control, the pendant glowed faintly and exposed a much larger and more complex runic circle with most of its runes blurred or unrecognizable.
As the rune circle approached, it merged with the outermost circle of the rune system, perfectly replacing it. Shortly after that, the rune system disappeared and reintegrated itself into the pendant, etching the new runes into it.
[Rune System: It is a set of different runic components, which, when put together, create a complex and functional system that can act in synchrony to obtain stronger or specialized results, somewhat similar to the gears of a clock.
Runic Circle: One of the methods for runic inscription that enhances the effects of the runes used by building a circular structure.]
Bloom: "Excellent".
Seeing that it had blended in perfectly, Extimum also smiled faintly and waved his hand so that the pendant flew towards him.
The pendant did not look any different on the surface as only its runes had been modified and these were generally not very noticeable to the naked eye in most designs.
However, if there were something different, it would be the instinctive feeling that was now perceptible when holding it in his hands. As long as he sent out his magic and his will, the pendant's runic magic would activate.
On the other hand, the only thing that did not leave Extimum alone was that, although he had managed to fix part of the amulet, the other half was still damaged, not to mention that its true effect would only be present when both parts were complete and worked together.
The runic system of the pendant was composed of two runic circles, the first and most external focused on the body and the second, occupying the internal part, focused on the mind.
[img]
But for now, he had to settle for this small success, since he hadn't been very successful in deciphering the inner runic circle and wasn't even close to understanding it.
--Pov Extimum--
"Okay, now I'll see if it works".
Bloom: "Wait, wait, isn't it a bit hasty to try it right away? we still don't know if it works or even what exactly it does".
"There's no other way, the pendant hadn't reacted to anything or anyone before it was affected by whatever it is that's trying to mess with me".
"So, we couldn't test it on someone else, plus when it was activated last time, it didn't cause no damage on me, so even if it can't work at full capacity now, the effect should still work to a certain extent".
Bloom: "But-". Bloom was still worried that something might go wrong.
"Okay, I've already checked the runic system and I know its effects, besides, even if something happens, I don't have you here with me?"
Hearing my words, Bloom could only reluctantly agree, as a fire of determination seemed to shine in her eyes.
Bloom: "Well…".
I took a deep breath and looked at the pendant in my hand. I didn't know if anything could go wrong, but I was sure that at the very least, it wouldn't affect my life.
In addition, there were certain things that had been going on lately that I didn't mention to anyone. It really worries me… What if something like what happened with Hermione in the hospital wing happens again?
I had already felt faint signs of it, like when I saw Bloom's real form for the first time.
Losing control of my own body or even ending up being an accomplice of its intentions, just to spare the bestiality that runs through my body to my victims is not something I want.
I can't just go on like this, I won't allow it...
Without further consideration, I sent my will and magic to the pendant in my hand, causing it to glow faintly.
** Trink, Trink **
The effect was immediate and for a moment I had the illusion of the sound of chains rattling, followed by an oppressive feeling coming from all directions.
It was as if gravity or the world itself had made my body a target.
**gasp**
The air seemed heavy and each breath felt harder than the last, it was as if an invisible hand was squeezing my throat tightly, only leaving small spaces to barely breathe.
I don't know when, but at some point, I found myself on my knees on the floor, as I faintly felt the grip release and strong gasps for air came out of me.
For a moment, I thought it was all over and when I had finally managed to take a full breath, a burning feeling was building rapidly and steadily in my body.
It was a somewhat familiar burning feeling, like that time. But this time, it was stronger, much stronger.
If my senses weren't so highly developed I would have believed that the bubbling sound of my boiling blood was just a hallucination, however, far from just ending there, my skin was also beginning to feel hot, as if it was being burned or corroded.
At some point, I was unable to tell if I was still in pain, it was like a moment of lucidity before the fall, but the cold sweat on my back and forehead still gave me a bit of a sense of reality.
It didn't take long for my mind to blur. I could vaguely hear Bloom's screams, but couldn't tell exactly where it was coming from.
Bloom:" ~mum~, ~Exti~ ".
"*Grrr*". A low, throaty growl barely escaped my throat as my hands dug into the ground barely heeding my conscience or maybe an instinct to release all the pain I was feeling.
And then…everything went dark.
The last thing I could think before being sucked into darkness was that it had been a good idea to have put up a barrier and covered the area with my illusion magic.
…
It is dark…
???:" She's dead…".
It's cold…
???: "There was no other way?".
It smells... it smells of blood...
???:" Do not…".
Whose voices are those?... They are so familiar... yet unknown at the same time... Why can't I remember?... Remember... Remember...
My eyes snapped open.
A familiar, yet unknown ceiling greeted me as I opened my eyes. What happened? Did I fall unconscious? Bloom brought me here?
But where are we? Where is Bloom? And... Why is it so dark?... I hadn't seen the darkness like this for a long time.
Feeling my thoughts scramble for a moment, I took a deep breath and forced myself to ignore my confusion and unease. I felt that my thoughts were running slowly and only after a moment, I was able to recover and focus on observing my surroundings.
I'm in a big dark room and it looks like morning, but the closed curtains in the room keep the light out, so there was barely any visibility.
The only places that were dimly lit were by the window and near the door, which was tight so a little bit of light managed to escape.
I felt a slight tremor run through my body. It's cold… cold? Why do I feel so cold?
I waved my hand trying to summon a lumos to light up the room, but it didn't work, but I felt imperceptibly that I couldn't use my magic.
Without magic, I walked towards the window with the intention of opening the curtains and seeing where I was, being careful not to trip over something, but when I tried to move the curtains, they didn't move, it was as if they were solid, impossible to move.
*Abu..agugu*
All the hairs on my body stood up for a moment and I almost jumped from my spot in surprise at the strange sound.
Quickly turning my eyes around me, I tried to find the source of the sound, but everything was dark, a darkness that did not allow me to see in it, barely if anything was visible.
I'd been sure there was no one else in the room with me, but without my night vision, it wouldn't be strange if my senses were also impaired.
The strangest thing of all was that I didn't find it strange to have lost those abilities.
I could only strain my eyes and keep my guard up as I detailed the location in the poor visibility, or at least until I felt a cold breeze blow past my back.
And with the breeze, a little light came into the room.
The window had been open, and with the flow of the curtain, there had been a glimpse of the cold weather outside, it was snowing outside.
The curtain did not close completely and left a new path of light that allowed enough light to enter the room.
Looking around, my eyes widened for a moment before narrowing.
I know this place; I have been here before...
The familiar crimson curtains, the elegant pattern on the walls and door, the style of the furniture… this room is…
???: "So what do we do now?". A woman's muffled voice questioned.
???: "Nothing has changed, we will continue with the plan".
???: "Nothing has changed?! She... my sister is dead! Your wife is dead! Even if we achieve our goal, how can it be the same? How can you say that nothing has changed?! *sniff**whimper*."
???: "You... Do you think that what is happening doesn't hurt me?! Do you think I'm not suffering? I... just like you, I loved her with all my heart, with every part of me. None of this was supposed to happen, but…it was that damn compassion of hers. That damn-…kind heart of hers, that made her make that decision. If it didn't, things wouldn't have ended this way". The man's voice was deep and carried a somewhat hoarse and sentimental notation.
The voices of the man and woman came from outside the room, they seemed to be on the other side of the door talking, but those voices, I think I heard them before waking up, however… I feel a slight familiarity with them, but it is mainly unawareness or... incompatibility.
Ignoring the voices behind the door, my eyes wandered around the room searching for the source of the earlier sound.
I didn't have to try too hard when my eyes fell on a crib in the middle of the room.
For some reason, looking at them generated an uncomfortable feeling in me, I didn't want to, but my feet didn't waver on the way to get closer to look.
Looking at what was inside the crib, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks and stare with what I think would have been my most expressive face so far, because I could only feel a mix of uneasiness and surprise as I stared at what was inside.
???: "You killed her!" The woman's voice was heard with a mixture of anger and pain.
**whimper**
???: "You know it wasn't like that! It all happened too fast… it was an accident…".
There was a baby in the crib. His pale body was naked and covered in blood.
???: "Come here, hug me. We'll bring her back, she'll come back, they can do it, I'm sure he can and when it's all over, I'm sure he'll bring her back in view of our contributions".
???: "B-but, what will we do with the child?".
???:" What should be done".
But the most important…
???: "But, it's his so-".
???: "Don't say it! That thing is the main culprit of what happened and it's only alive because it's necessary".
It's just that he baby looks like me.
**clack**
The door to the room opened, drawing my attention to the door, but before I could see who the voices from earlier belonged to, everything went dark again.
…
I woke up again and just like before, everything was dark, but this is a familiar and clear darkness.
I can see the moon hanging high in the sky, while I feel the brush of the wind and the grass on my skin. It's not cold anymore...
--End Pov--
Lying under a tree. Extimum found himself looking around in a bit of amazement as the scenes from that dream replayed in his mind.
Bloom: "Did you wake up?"
Extimum: "Yes, I hope I didn't worry you too much".
Bloom: "*sigh* You really did, but it was only for a short moment, after you fell unconscious, your condition got better after a while and you just seemed to be sleeping normally." Bloom had been quite worried and a bit angry, but she had had the whole afternoon to calm down while she nursed and waited for Extimum to wake up.
"Don't you feel any discomfort?"
Extimum: "No, I just feel a bit tired and… confused".
"Do you have the recording of what happened?"
Bloom: "Yes, here, take."
Extimum: "Thank you…for everything".
Bloom: "Okay, you've done a lot for me too". Speaking up there, Bloom flew over to Extimum's head to nestle in his hair.
Extimum took the video camera that Bloom had given him and turned it on to watch the video.
The camera was one of the few non-wizarding items Extimum possessed and he only used it occasionally, such as at his birthday party the first year, where he took photos of everyone in their drunken state.
On the other hand, he mainly used it because he didn't have something like a portable pensieve, nor had he bought any magical artifacts that he could record with. In fact, this camera itself could be considered the best of current non-magical technology, and it hadn't come cheap.
However, before he could continue and play the video, it suddenly stopped.
Bloom for her part, felt a sudden shiver run through her body, while the atmosphere seemed to cool significantly and she stopped her hand that was about to touch one of Extimum's ears.
Bloom consciously withdrew her hand and only then, did the cold atmosphere fade as Extimum's ears disappeared.
Ultimate: "No". Extimum said no more words as he returned his attention to the chamber, but his meaning had been clear.
Bloom only slightly puffed out her cheeks pouting at his cold attitude, but did not say anything.
After selecting the video, Extimum hit play.
--video--
Extimum was holding the white jade pendant in his hands when it began to dimly light up.
After it lit up, Extimum lay still for a few seconds until he began to shift uncomfortably in place, then looked like he was gasping for breath, before he brought his hand to his neck in an effort to free himself of what seemed like an invisible grip that prevented him from breathing.
Bloom: "Extimum? What's wrong, can't you breathe?"
Bloom flew around Extimum as she surveyed his situation with a clear show of concern on her face.
She tried to help him with her magic and checked the potions that Extimum had left in case the situation turned bad, but nothing seemed to have any effect.
It was only after exhausting most of her options that she discovered that Extimum's choking feeling was actually a hallucination of his own mind and even though it was causing him some degree of damage, he was actually breathing fine for the most part, though this fact only managed to slightly reduce Bloom's concern.
Only for a moment later, Extimum fell to his knees on the ground and began to slowly relax the rhythm of his breathing as he moved his hand away from his neck.
However, Bloom didn't have much time to relax when Extimum's body began to twist strangely and released his 9 tails along with his ears.
His skin began to flush a deep, unnatural hue, and his nails lengthened as he dug them into the ground in an attempt to resist the torment that seemed to course through his body.
Bloom was immediately concerned at the strong reaction and although she hadn't lost her cool, she was restless as she didn't know exactly what to do, but Extimum wasn't responding to her calls and was beginning to consider taking more drastic measures.
However, her considerations did not go too far when Extimum relented and fell unconscious on the grass.
Which soon made Bloom very worried and somewhat anxious about the situation.
She only calmed down upon making sure that Extimum was completely fine and even though he had fallen unconscious, his current state was not much different from just sleeping from exhaustion.
After that, Bloom returned to her original form and carried Extimum in her arms to the nearby tree.
--End video--
Bloom: "You know, I let you sleep on my lap for a while. Did you have a good dream?"
Extimum: "A good dream? I don't know if it was good or bad, but let's say it was something... different, but leaving that aside, don't you think it's a little sad, because you only took that form while I was sleeping, but now that I'm awake, I can't see her".
Bloom: "Ah… that…".
Extimum: "Hm? It's not like I'm going to eat you, is it?"
Bloom: "Hmp, who's going to eat me? I'm older here, if anyone was going to eat, it would be me eating you."
Extimum: "Wait, do you know what eating means?" Extimum knew that Bloom, after all, had only been learning the English language and culture for a few months.
Bloom: "Aren't you just saying that because you think I'm scared?"
Extimum: "Oh…".
Bloom: "I feel like you're not telling me something".
Extimum : "It has to be your imagination, I'll just wait for you to try to eat me".
Bloom:" *Yum nibble *".
Suddenly, Bloom bit Extimum's finger.
Extimum: "What are you doing?".
Bloom: "I'm venting my annoyance".
Extimum: "...hahaha." Extimum couldn't help but laugh at Bloom's sulky face as she bit his finger.' She looks pretty'.
Bloom: "What are you laughing at? Does being bitten make you laugh?" Bloom's eyes sparkled forgetting her annoyance. It was a very rare occasion to see Extimum laugh.
"Maybe… if I bite you harder, you'll laugh more?" Bloom voiced her thoughts out loud and was about to bite down harder on his finger again when…
**Pa**
Bloom: "*Ouch*". Bloom jumped when she felt she was hit in the butt.
Extimum: "Okay, that's enough, don't be cheeky, I wasn't laughing because you bit me in the first place, who would laugh at something like that? it's just that you were making such a funny face".
"We better go back to the castle, it's getting late and we've been out most of the day, we might make people worry that we were attacked by the basilisk".
Bloom: "Hmp, okay, but don't hit my ass, how do you even manage to hit me without sending me flying?" Bloom questioned with genuine curiosity as she rubbed her butt gently.
As for the basilisk, Extimum had long ago told her about it.
…
Returning to the castle, Extimum just passed through the great hall, grabbed a plate of food, and left without greeting anyone. He felt strangely tired and didn't feel energetic enough to talk to anyone more than was strictly necessary.
To avoid precisely this point and not worry anyone, he hid under a cloak of illusion and just let Bloom go to greet them while passing them a paper that said, "I'm fine".
After which, they both returned to their room together only to fall into sleepy embraces right after taking a shower and eating.
«She's dead» «It's his fault» «It was an accident... » «It's her so-»
Tonight was destined to be a bad night's sleep for Extimum, as the images and words of that memory seemed to echo through his mind, stirring his thoughts while allowing other lingering thoughts to creep in.
.
Holy Week was drawing to a close and the students seemed reluctant to part with their short week off.
Two days had passed after Extimum had partially repaired the pendant.
Sitting under the shade of a tree, Extimum, for the first time let his thoughts wander to something other than the content of the book in his hands.
After waking up the morning after activating the jade pendant, he had felt the difference in his body immediately.
He felt that his body had become much lighter. It seemed as if he had shed a weight he hadn't known he was carrying.
On the other hand, the malicious thoughts and ideas had not stopped and, on the contrary, seemed to have become more active by having blocked their progress in the physical body.
However, his biggest concern, which was that his body was controlled, was at least, for now, solved.
His study of the pendant's runic system had given him a rough idea of its scope and effect. He knew that the physical section of the runic system had as its main function to suppress and condense.
The suppression had been experienced the moment he activated the pendant.
The magic had suppressed the invading agent, which had had a strong backlash until it was finally suppressed.
Furthermore, Extimum also felt that the suppression effect slightly affected his Heavenly Fox Bloodline, however, that feeling had disappeared upon waking up the next day.
The condensing part hadn't been entirely clear to him, so he guessed it might be an auxiliary function for the other rune circle.
With all of this, Extimum was also aware that although the pendant was working fine, but ultimately, that was not the correct working of it and it was only a partial working, so it wouldn't be strange if it couldn't fully live up to the expectation.
Reason for which, this morning he had extracted a small amount of his blood again to observe his condition again. Which, true to his assumptions, proved to be true.
The foreign blood cells had stopped appearing as often as they were destroyed and the new cells that appeared afterwards didn't seem as strong as the old ones, so the stalemate of the guerrilla war was over and the Shadowless bloodline was slowly retaking control
A result like this was already good enough for the time being, as not only had much more time been bought for himself, but he also now had a countermeasure that would make sure he didn't lose partial control of his body and to a certain extent, his mind.
Trudor: "Extimum, Extimum!".
Trudor's cries calling his name brought Extimum out of his thoughts, as he realized that his mind had, in fact, been distracted enough to ignore his personal study.
Closing the book in his hands, Extimum deposited it in his magic bag.
Walking away from the tree he had been leaning against, Extimum walked towards a more open area from where he had heard Trudor's screams.
It was almost 12 in the afternoon, there was still some time before it was time for lunch and he wondered what Trudor would need to search for him with such anxiety.
Shortly after walking and out of the cover of the trees, Trudor soon spotted Extimum and approached him. He felt a little sweaty and his breathing was a little rough as if he had been running.
Trudor: "I finally found you, you don't know what we had to do to find you, if it wasn't for Steve to ask Bloom if she knew where you were, we might not have been able to find you. It was a good idea of you to leave Bloom a piece of paper with your location on it".
Extimum: "Yes... leave her a paper with my location, anyway, why did you need me in such a hurry?".
Trudor: "Oh, that's right!"
Trudor: "There is no time, Extimum, come quickly, something serious has happened". Trudor grabbed Extimum's wrist and pulled him in the direction of the castle.
Extimum: "Something serious? Why so much mystery? Can't you just say it?" Following Trudor, Extimum couldn't help but comment. If it is serious, why say so many nonsense and not just say it directly?
Trudor: "Um... Listen, what I'm about to say might be difficult...".
Just as Trudor was about to speak, he was interrupted by the arrival of Steve and Mitchell.
Steve: "You found Extimum, well, let's get back to the castle quickly".
Mitchell: "Yeah, we need to get back to the common room quickly. It was already hard to escape to come here, we were just lucky we didn't run into any teachers on the way or they would have made us go back".
Steve:" Okay, let's not waste time, did you tell him Trudor yet?".
Trudor: "No, I was about to, but you know… it's a tricky thing".
Steve: "*sigh* And you say I'm dramatic. We're talking about Extimum, chances are even if you tell him the castle is under attack, he won't panic". Steve shook his head and said haughtily, as if he were saying something elementary.
"Listen, Extimum, there was another monster attack and Hermione was one of the victims. She's currently in the infirmary".
Finishing his words, both Steve and the others turned their eyes to Extimum in case the news was too strong.
Even Steve who had said that Extimum could take it easy, said it more to subtly prepare the news and he wasn't entirely sure that he could continue with his usual calm, after all, Hermione's life was in danger if she wasn't already dead.
So, he had his concerns when he told the news directly.
However, to the dismay of the three, Extimum did not overreact.
Extimum: "Oh…".
More than an answer, it was just an exclamation and one that sounded quite uninterested in it.
His answer quite surprised the three of them.
Although Extimum and Hermione's relationship hadn't progressed any further, they could still be considered very good friends.
Also, it was no secret to anyone how much attention Extimum gave Hermione, perhaps only Luna could almost compare in the level of favoritism and attention he gave them, so they expected at least a more emotional reaction from him.
Such a reaction couldn't prevent the three of them from having a new understanding of Extimum, as well as certain doubts being formulated in them.
Steve and Mitchell got over him quickly though, because they knew they couldn't quite read Extimum and he might just not be expressing himself, plus they'd known him for a while and they didn't think it was like that.
Trudor still seemed to be in other thoughts, but he recovered not long after.
Extimum: "Thanks for telling me, you should go back to the common room first, I'll go to the infirmary right now".
Mitchell: "Okay, we'll wait for you in the common room so you can tell us the situation. Professor Flitwick must be waiting for the students to gather to give a report, we'll tell you what he said later".
Steve: "Yes, for now, go".
Extimum nodded and headed straight for the infirmary.
Although his figure seemed to be moving with his usual speed, it only took a few seconds before his figure was seen far in the distance.
In truth, although Extimum had seemed totally insensitive and somewhat disinterested, that had only been partially true.
Receiving such news had not surprised him.
It had already been within his expectations for a long time and although he had been quite concerned at the time he heard it from Steve, a check on her psychic connection had allowed him to feel that she was alright.
The only thing was that all her physical and mental activity had been completely frozen.
Honestly speaking, Extimum really didn't want her to be petrified, but he couldn't just deprive her of her freedom or stay with her all the time to prevent her from being attacked, that would only be very uncomfortable and annoying for both of them.
Therefore, unless he had headed straight into a fight against a basilisk, he wasn't certain that it could prevent her from being petrified or having a much more unfortunate fate.
What if his actions, on the contrary, caused her not to have the same luck?
And though those were the very words he kept repeating to himself, the thought of going to kill the basilisk seemed to grow more appealing as he approached the infirmary.
However, ultimately, the basilisk would die anyway at the hands of another and he could spend that time on other things.
Although... the image of him sticking his sword into the basilisk's head was quite attractive... it would make a great story to tell...
Extimum: 'Damn hormonal mind, how is it that even killing a basilisk is such a simple thing? I don't think I just have such crazy luck as Harry's, fuck the fact that it looks cool, in the future I will kill a great dragon and that should be enough'. Extimum mentally exclaimed with a vigor he didn't know he had.
He was wondering if those thoughts were influencing his mind more than they should. Normally, I wouldn't think so uncivilly.
On the other hand, it wasn't that Extimum was afraid of fighting the basilisk, but he had more to lose than gain right now if he was inclined to do so. After all, it wasn't a real threat to him and interfering or not didn't change the outcome.
He could always go after the basilisk butcher it to use in experiments as revenge for petrifying Hermione.
Having shaken off those reckless self-destructive thoughts, Extimum walked through the door to the infirmary.
The infirmary was alone at the moment and there was no sign of Madam Pomfrey to be seen.
She had probably had to go out to take care of something important and since the only current patients were basically stone statues, she shouldn't have left anyone to look after the place when she left.
Walking down the hall between the beds, Extimum walked until he stopped at a cubicle that was hidden by the curtain.
Looking at the curtains, Extimum couldn't help but think how similar the situation was to the previous time, except this time, Hermione wouldn't be able to say anything to him to prevent him from entering.
Stepping through the curtain that cut off the view inside, he found a petrified Hermione lying on the bed.
She had been left with open eyes and a semi-extended hand. Her skin seemed to have turned paler and slightly greyish, while her entire figure seemed to carry an unnatural stiffness.
Sighing lightly, Extimum sat on the bed next to her in silence.
Extimum: 'How should I act now? I can't depetrify you right away, that would be too weird and raise questions, questions I'm not interested in answering. I should wait at least a few days and then I'll just give a convincing excuse, maybe…'.
'Should I steal you from the infirmary and have you all to myself for a while? Ha, a tempting idea no doubt, mmm, although perhaps not so unrealistic, I could even leave a replacement for you here and depetrify you in my room, so I can depetrify you immediately and not cause problems… I like that idea'.
Just as Extimum was preparing to act, the door to the infirmary was heard being opened followed by a voice.
Pomfrey: "Extimum? Is that you? *sigh* you know you shouldn't be here. All the students were sent to meet in their common rooms a while ago and for security reasons".
Extimum: "Oh, in that case there should be no problem, aren't you here with me? But how did you know it was me, Mrs. Pomfrey?" Stepping out from behind the curtain, Extimum spoke casually, ignoring Pomfrey's words and surreptitiously wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.
Pomfrey: "That's simple. I've had several intruders in my infirmary in the years I've been working here, however besides you; no one else has bothered to help me organize the infirmary on each visit".
Extimum: "Oh, who would have noticed something like that? It's more of a routine action and my appreciation for you, so I've given you a hand".
Extimum surprised himself, perhaps he had become a bit rigid with the order, in fact he had manipulated with wandless magic the items in the infirmary that he had seen scattered as he made his way towards Hermione's bed.
It was an activity he had done before when he was helping Pomfrey organize and he had gotten into the habit of doing it on every visit.
However, he had not paid much attention to that detail, after all, it only required him to wave his hands a little like if it were a musical and all the disorder took its place in a few seconds.
Pomfrey: "I appreciate the gesture, I really appreciate it, but anyway, you should go back to your common room before you get in trouble, I, for now, will cast my eyes aside as I haven't seen you so you can say goodbye to Hermione. Do you want me to come with you to your common room later?".
Extimum smiled softly at Pomfrey's words.
The time he had spent learning with her made them become quite close in general, appreciable by the fact that the normally strict Pomfrey was willing to help him even against the rules.
Extimum: "Thank you, but that won't be necessary, I'm done visiting Hermione and I don't think I'll be attacked by the monster, but I'll be careful anyway".
Pomfrey: "Okay, but be careful and don't go out of your way to go to the common room".
Leaving the infirmary, Extimum walked as two of his tails brought Hermione's petrified body behind him.
Extimum had to say that this time he had surpassed himself using illusion magic.
He had used much of his magic to create one of the most realistic illusions he had done so far, it was so realistic, that unless someone wanted to manipulate Hermione's body, it would be difficult for them to discover that he had taken her.
The illusion almost touched the limits of the physical, so much so that Hermione's fake body could be touched and people would not doubt that they had touched something.
He had even been able to leave the paper note that Hermione was holding in her hand to the fake Hermione.
Extimum didn't think anyone would find out that he had taken Hermione, after all, petrified people were almost stone. They didn't need to eat or go to the bathroom and just had to make sure their bodies weren't damaged.
Still, he decided to occasionally come to the infirmary to make sure the illusion didn't weaken, plus he had had to finish it in a hurry because Pomfrey had arrived.
Extimum: 'Illusion magic is really convenient. On the other hand, I have managed to touch the limits of the physical, until now, my illusions could only deceive the senses, but they would be nothing more than smoke if someone made contact with them, but after this, although it takes a lot of effort, I can do that the illusion is partially physical'.
On the way to the common room, Extimum was quite cheerful thinking about his sudden breakthrough in illusion magic.
It had to be known, that even if he could confuse someone's sense of touch into believing the illusion was physical that was only on the premise that they would not interact.
If the illusion simulated a person and another external person tried to lie on the illusion or touch it with an object, it would be easy to pass through it.
Fooling the sense of touch could only make it so that if someone were to try to touch the illusion, they would feel the touch and reflexively have their mind act as if there was something physical there.
So, touching the limits of the physical would mean that the illusion would begin to have substance on the physical plane, although it would be weak and could have voids, but if someone collided or tried to lean on the illusion, the collision would occur.
But there was no need to worry so much about it, after all, the fake Hermione just had to be lying on a bed and be real enough playing a stone.
After solving the puzzle and passing through the door to the common room, Extimum came across a bustling hall.
From the sofas, to the chairs and even on the stairs.
The common room was more crowded than he had ever seen it before. His arrival attracted the attention of several nearby students, but they didn't pay much attention to him after seeing who he was.
On the other hand, Padma, Luna and Bloom who were among the students came over as soon as they saw him.
Padma: "Extimum, how is Hermione? Did you see her?"
Extimum: "Yes, I could see her, as for how she is… Good? Bad? She was petrified, so let's say her life is not in danger."
"But changing the subject, I understand that everyone has to go back to the common room, but why is everyone concentrating here?"
Extimum asked seeing so many students packed here.
The large number of people had forced him to lift Hermione's body above his head to prevent anyone from colliding with her and with the hyperactive wizards, that still wasn't entirely certain.
Luna: "Professor Flitwick said that from now on students must spend all their free time in the common room and we must always be escorted by a teacher to go anywhere. So most are here waiting for a teacher come take us to the great hall for lunch".
Extimum: "Oh I see, I'll go to my room for a few things and I'll be back then, by the way, where are Steve and the others?"
Padma: "There were too many people here, so they went to their bedroom until the teacher came to take us to the great hall."
Extimum: "Well, I'll be back now".
Extimum did not delay any longer and headed towards the entrance of his room, however, upon arrival, he could not enter because a group of students was leaning against the wall where the secret entrance was.
Bloom, meanwhile, had followed him and had already sat on his shoulder to accompany him. She had been with Luna all morning.
The "secret" entrance was in a wall near the stairs and was currently occupied by a group of students.
Extimum: "Excuse me, could you move a little? please."
At Extimum's question, the third year looking students gave him strange looks. They didn't understand what he meant, when there was only a wall behind them and they weren't blocking the stairs.
Student x: "Extimum, right? What do you mean if we could move? Do you need this place for anything?"
Extimum:" Oh?, you're Malcolm, I remember you"— A strange look flashed through Extimum's eyes as he looked at the boy who had spoken to him—"But getting back on topic, it would be easier if I show them to you".
The Malcolm boy felt inexplicably uncomfortable when he met Extimum's gaze, however, his face was mainly surprised and incomprehensible when he found out that Extimum knew his name.
However, when he was about to ask, he was interrupted by the shout of one of his friends.
**Woah!**
Looking back, two of his friends who were leaning against the wall had fallen backwards to the ground.
Student A:" *ouch* What happened? How did we fall?"
Student B: "Huh…look behind you."
Following student B finishing his words, both student A and his two friends who were still standing, including Malcolm, looked directly at the source of the problem.
The wall that had previously seemed completely normal and solid had become translucent and intangible, revealing a dark corridor to some unknown place.
As if ignoring the confusion and surprise of the students in front of him, Extimum continued speaking.
Extimum: "With that clear, I thank you for your collaboration, with you permission, see you later".
Extimum passed directly between Malcolm and the other student who were still looking dazedly at the dark corridor and passed over the two fallen students until they entered the dark corridor.
Just after his figure disappeared from their vision and some ideas were starting to go through their heads, the two students on the floor were suddenly pushed out of the corridor by an unseen force, followed by the wall returning to normal.
This scene was only seen by the few people present and some others who had turned their eyes upon hearing the screams of the two children as they fell, otherwise it was as if they had mysteriously ignored him completely.
Malcolm: "Was there something like that here?" Malcolm asked surprised since he had snapped out of his earlier dumbfounded state.
Student A: "That seems…".
.
.
Bloom: "Why did you let them see the entrance to your secret room? I'm pretty sure you could have come up with something to keep them away or just make them ignore you".
Upon entering the room, Bloom couldn't help but ask as she considered the whole scene totally unnecessary.
Extimum: "More like, why not? It's not really important if this room is known about, anyway, I don't consider it that 'secret'. On the other hand, it's not like it matters, if they're going to forget it in a few seconds anyway".
Bloom: "How is it not important? They could…ooh…I see". Bloom immediately grasped the meaning of Extimum's words and didn't comment any further.
"By the way, who was this Malcolm? I don't remember you talking to him before".
Extimum: "I haven't even done it, I only know his name because I investigated it out of simple curiosity, nothing really important".
And it really wasn't, Extimum only knew his name because he had caught his attention once. Malcon was the boy who had been researching the 'love potion' the last year.
Approaching his bed, Extimum moved his tails that were carrying Hermione's body and gently deposited her on his bed.
Although Extimum didn't know if someone petrified could break like sand or if they were completely solid, it was better not to check.
His action didn't go unnoticed by Bloom, who exclaimed in surprise when Extimum removed the cloak of illusion that hid his tails and Hermione.
Bloom:" Now we kidnap people? should I practice my lines as a villain? 'We have their in our possession, if they want it back, they will have to pay…', hehehe, it's okay, don't look at me like that, it was just a joke" .
"She is fine?".
Extimum tore his gaze from Bloom and back at Hermione.
Extimum: " She will be". Reaching out his hand, the closet door opened and a small trunk flew out in front of Extimum.
It only took a stare, when a sound of turning gears began to be heard from the trunk and shortly after, it was opened after releasing all its latches.
Inside the trunk was a neatly arranged group of translucent jars containing a dense light green substance.
Taking one of the many jars, Extimum released its lid and tossed the contents into the air.
Bloom was about to say something upon seeing his action when she noticed that the liquid didn't fall completely, but instead floated in the air and moved until it was on top of Hermione.
Extimum: "Don't be so alarmed. I have no reason to waste it".
Bloom only snorted lightly at his words. If he didn't want to alarm her, then why did he so casually toss it into the air? Couldn't he just do it like a normal person? He clearly just wanted to annoy her.
Extimum only smiled imperceptibly at her reaction, but then he returned to normal as he drew his wand and pointed it at the green liquid floating above Hermione.
The atmosphere suddenly changed from mockery to solemnity, as Extimum closed his eyes and held his wand close to his face, then slowly intoned his words as he pointed his wand at the floating green liquid.
Extimum: "The essence has been lost, but the fire of life still burns brightly. That the souls and the memories not be forgotten, for the cold tomb is still lies far away and the stony illusion of death is nothing more than a fallacy made in stone, therefore, return the essence and make of the living as what they really are".
As Extimum's words echoed through the room, the liquid spread out and then became a cloud of green gas that slowly covered Hermione's entire stony body and slowly melted into it.
No sound was heard other than the final echo of the words Extimum, accompanied by the faint sound of drops falling to the floor.
Small ruby drops with light golden-purple tints that slid down Extimum's right hand until they fell to the ground.
Bloom felt as if the light from the windows had slowly dimmed, as if twilight itself had descended before its time and space had quivered vaguely.
However, as quickly as this strange sight occurred, it disappeared, as if it had all been nothing more than a hallucination.
Extimum: "It's over, Hermione should be back to normal in a day or two. Well, that's an approximation based on normal effects though, so I'm not entirely sure".
Bloom: "You looked really cool while doing the ritual". Bloom couldn't help but comment upon seeing it.
Extinct: "Thank you".
The ritual had been a very simple one indeed, it did not require too many things more than a small blood sacrifice, as much as a drop was, at least, when that drop came from Extimum, however, from his investigation, Extimum knew that he had better results to depetrify than to do it with the usual method.
To a certain extent, it ensured a better and faster recovery.
With the disappearance of the green gas, the light droplets of blood that had also fallen to the ground also disappeared.
After finishing there, Extimum walked out together with Bloom from the room. Upon leaving, it was noticeable that the students from earlier had left and he had no problem leaving.
He had used a little legilimency trick along with a compulsion to make them forget and walk away from the place.
Thinking about it, Extimum couldn't help but think that such action was somewhat questionable.
Even though he had some degree of control with legilimency, it was still a dangerous art to practice casually, and while that little trick wouldn't do any harm, it was the fact that he had done it so casually that made him question.
Although he had already gotten over something like taking a life and using people it wasn't too far removed from his family mindset, but he still retained a certain respect for life within reason and was not particularly fond of playing with it, unless they were his enemies.
So his action raised some silent warning flags within him.
On the other hand, he didn't care that Bloom would think less of him for doing it. Bloom hardly ever questioned his actions beyond concern or simple curiosity.
After leaving, they didn't go directly to meet Padma and Luna, but instead went to the bedroom where Steve, Mitchell and Trudor were.
Ravenclaw dorms were generally quite large, similar to Slytherin, so bunkrooms were actually quite few in number, if any at all, not that Extimum had bothered to find out.
Entering his bedroom, he found Steve and Mitchell playing cards on a bed, while Trudor drew something in a notebook.
Mitchell: "And I win".
Steve: "Damn, why do you always win when we play cards?"
Mitchell: "Hehehe, that's a talent, well, that and if you want to avoid milking the goats in my family, you should learn to play cards right".
Trudor: "What could be wrong with milking goats? I think it's pretty simple". Without looking up from his drawing, Trudor asked.
Mitchell: "No, no, you don't understand, they're not ordinary goats, they're one-eyed goats that breathe fire through their noses, they're terrifying, I don't even know what species they are, but I hate when it's my turn to milk them when I'm home. If their milk didn't sell so well, I wouldn't even go near their".
Extimum: "They're called cyclops goats and they're actually very friendly".
Mitchell: "I never said they weren't". Mitchell answered unconsciously.
Steve:" Extimum!, you're back, how was your visit to the infirmary?, if you were able to get there? How is Hermione?, she won't be…".
Extimum: "She'll be fine. Just like the others, she was just petrified and I had no problem going or coming back, you should know by now that I have no problem sneaking away"-
Mitchell: "It's a relief that she's okay, although it will be a little sad that we won't be able to see her for a while."
Mitchell's words were the thoughts of others.
They weren't so paranoid about the petrification issue, although that didn't reduce the fear of being one of the victims, but at least, they knew that it could be cured, as long as they had the same luck and didn't die trying of course.
Steve: "Right, Extimum, when will you teach me to disappear like you?" Wanting to lighten things up a bit, Steve asked.
Extimum: "Hmm, I don't know, why don't you just get yourself an invisibility cloak?, although they're a bit rare, it's still possible to find them... or you could learn the Disillusionment Charm".
Steve: "Wait, is there really a spell to make you invisible?"
Extimum: "Let's say it's something like that, but more like turning you into a chameleon, changing the subject, I see you put the bed I left to good use".
Extimum's bed was being used to put all kinds of objects on it. It wasn't like he particularly cared though, after all, he doesn't sleep there.
Steve: "Yeah, you don't use it anyway, so we use it to put the extra stuff that we'll have to reuse later, so we save time".
Trudor: "By the way, have any teachers come to take us to the great hall yet?"
Extimum: "I don't know, but considering the time, I think it should have already arrived or be coming".
Mitchell: "Okay, so let's go".
Without another word, they all got up and left the room.
Extimum: "Who was the person you were drawing, Trudor?".
Trudor: "Oh, now that I think about it, you guys haven't met her yet. She is my sister. Last year we didn't see her because she was very busy with a job that my father gave her".
"Although, I'm glad it was like that, because anyway, I usually try to avoid her because she's such a pain in the ass."
Extimum: "I think you mentioned that she was in Hufflepuff".
Trudor: "Yeah, she's a year older than me and she's in third year".
Steve: "Let's see, let me take a good look at the drawing. Tch, I'm not surprised that you're good at drawing, but…hmm, I think I do know her".
Trudor: "What? When?".
Steve:" Oh, you know, sometimes you just go out there and find things, meet people"— Steve was about to continue when he felt a slight ominous feeling—" Eh… *ahem* or not, wait, I think I'm wrong, yes, I don't know her, definitely, I don't know her. I'll go ahead to find Padma". Not breaking stride, Steve immediately sped down the stairs until he was lost in the crowd.
Trudor: "Steve, come back here! I'll be a goblin if I believe you, tell me what you did to my sister". Trudor looked much shaken as he ran not much slower behind Steve.
Mitchell: "Wow, I didn't know Trudor could act like that".
Extimum: "Me neither"
Mitchell wondered for a moment if that was really what Extimum thought or if he was just saying it. His tone had been as flat as ever.
Unfazed by what just happened, Extimum and Mitchell calmly walked down the stairs to where they had seen Luna and Padma.
Mitchell: "By the way, Steve should have paid his debt, right? So what was in that picture? I've always been curious about the things he does, but he always acts very cautious, can you believe he keeps his stuff in a trunk with a magic lock? So, I've never been able to see what those photos are".
Extimum: "Oh... you can see for yourself, here, take". Reaching into his bag, Extimum pulled out a photo and handed it to Mitchell.
Mitchell: "This is…"
--------------------
discord.gg/ZZrUfk3msj
クリエイターの想い 
Zeroz7
Zeroz7 I liked this chapter a lot in my opinion, I think I had not written something so dramatic before xd.
On the other hand, wow, I just realized that I broke my own record for the longest episode again.
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